Friends of Coyote Hills Angela Lindstrom at far left is interviewed by Val Zavala of KCET Channel 28 "Life & Times"

The Fullerton community beware. Behind all this is a PR firm, Laer Pierce and Associates (LP&A), that specializes in helping developers win community and government support through slick advertising and other tricks of the trade .

The Friends of Coyote Hills, the community-based grassroots organization working to preserve West Coyote Hills from development, has been openly critical of the Chevron proposal of 760 homes to be built on West Coyote Hills, a precious wildlife habitat. They have cited concerns of water quality and supply, traffic, overcrowding of schools, long-term economic burden for residents, and the destruction of a valuable natural habitat for a federally endangered species, the California gnatcatcher. Instead of developing the property with more homes, The Friends of Coyote Hills propose a 510-acre public nature park and reserve that can be enjoyed in perpetuity by all.

PCH and their public relations firm, LP&A in turn, tried to put a spin on these issues to try to appease the public. Here’s a look at “both sides of the coin.”

Regarding the Development

• Chevron-PCH : “Something for Everyone”

• Friends of Coyote Hills: “A view for a few, a burden for the rest.”

• Chevron-PCH: We are maximizing profit for our shareholders by developing the site. Developing the hills is the “intelligent” thing to do.

• Friends of Coyote Hills: “A park and reserve for now and the future.” Let’s invest in our community by working together to establish a park and educational resource in West Coyote Hills. A park is an investment in the community. A park also has the unique ability to stimulate passionate attachment between residents and their community. This is something 760 homes cannot do for the community at large.

In 1859, an intelligent man named Henry David Thoreau advocated reserving wild areas. In referring to the Massachusetts township in which he lived, he said that each “should have a park... the public should own such places and make them sacrosanct...” He urged that a few wild places be kept for “modesty and reverence’s sake, or if only to suggest that earth has higher uses than we put her to.”

Another intelligent man, Cal State Fullerton Professor Paul Stapp, laments that he cannot use West Coyote Hills to teach his science students. Instead, he and his 150 students have to drive an hour to South Orange County to do this. West Coyote Hills would be ideal as an open classroom for the scientists and doctors of tomorrow.

Open Space & Wildlife Habitat

• Chevron-PCH: We’re setting aside 55% as open space, and an endowment fund for the long term maintenance of the habitat areas.

• Friends of Coyote Hills: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and laws will only allow PCH to develop 45% of the site. President Nixon signed a bill in 1973, that said, essentially, no one can “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect” any species of fish or wildlife listed as endangered by the Secretary of the Interior.

The West Coyote Hills property is a critical habitat for the Ca. gnatcatcher. Any development of the site has to be approved by the US Fish & Wildlife. Their biologist has been working with PCH to reduce the number and density of homes around the gnatcatcher nesting areas. Here are some of the US Fish & Wildlife notes as demonstration of their influence over the project proposal:

• School site - can’t move closer to Rosecrans because of Super Fund (McColl Dump)

• No night use of school field

• 2-3 years of phasing of project from east to west

• 42 acres of avoidance in SW corner (of site) Another problem with the 55% open space: “Fragmentation and isolation of habitat creates parcels of land that are too small. If we can’t provide the space that they (endangered species) require, then the bigger overall ecological picture is lost..” This statement was made by John Bradley, USFW biologist, in an interview with the OC Register in 1999.

Traffic

• Chevron-PCH: “... traffic would be distributed onto several arterial streets... PCH is also proposing to provide funds to install medians within Rosecrans Avenue and Gilbert and Euclid Streets.”

• Friends of Coyote Hills: More that 7600 car trips will be generated as a result of the development proposal. No real improvement are being made to streets other than potentially left or right hand turn lanes. How do medians alleviate congestion?

According to recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, Southern California ranked worst in traffic congestion in the nation. The price tag for this nationwide is $69.5 billion in lost productivity and gas. The Chevron-PCH development proposal is only adding to the problem- “... a burden for the rest.”

Water

• Chevron-PCH: The EIR cites Fullerton’s Urban Water Management Plan, in which the City concludes that it can provide water to both existing residents and the West Coyote Hills development.

• Friends of Coyote Hills: Unfortunately, that analysis was based on an assumption that the City could pump 75% of water out of its wells. Recent changes in water management policy by the Orange County Water District mandate that cities reduce their pumping to 66%.

The region cannot sustain itself if it continues to deplete its water at rates seen in the past. Chevron-PCH’s premise that the “water is there” is simply wrong.

The City will be forced to buy imported water to make up for the eventual water deficit at triple the normal cost, and then pass it on to the residents- “... a burden for the rest.”

Schools

• Chevron-PCH: “Millions of dollars in school fees would be paid to help ... accommodate the estimated 397 students generated from the new community.”

• Friends of Coyote Hills: Again, this is just complying with what the law requires. In 1986, the State Legislature approved AB 2926 which authorized school districts to levy development fees for new construction. In 1998, SB 50 was enacted. This landmark school financing reform legislation established three revenue streams to pay for school construction and remodeling: state school bond funds, local school bonds, and three levels of developer fees. Level 1 fees are set by law but are adjusted for inflation. In January 2002, this was $2.14 per square foot for new homes.

The Fullerton school districts have been tight-lipped about the West Coyote Hills development project because they are hoping to negotiate the highest level of developer fees possible.

The reality is, local residents will be burdened with the long term cost of over-crowded schools because no new schools are planned with the Chevron-PCH proposal. Case in point, this month, the Fullerton Transportation & Circulation Commission approved a series of improvements to Beechwood Elementary school, including the addition of a crossing guard, new signage, and additional police enforcement of new parking and circulation regulations during peak hours.

Residents and the school had complained about the noise, congestion and safety hazards brought on by the increase in school drop-offs/pick-ups due to increased enrollment. Beechwood principal Sue Faassen stated that the sharp increase in students are due to the Amerige Heights development. It is doubtful the Beechwood improvements captured any developer fees during the negotiation of the Amerige Heights development- “... a burden for the rest.”

Social Responsibility

• Chevron-PCH: We’re maximizing profit for our shareholders.

• Friends of Coyote Hills: Please go to www.chevron.com to read about Chevron’s corporate commitment to act as responsible business citizens. “Our approach to this responsibility is rooted in our core values: to conduct business in a socially responsible and ethical manner... protect the environment, and the communities where we work... By turning these values into concrete actions in our business, we build value for our shareholders and customers, credibility with our partners and help raise living standards in our communities.”

Will the real Chevron please step forward?